A picture is worth a thousand words but for the royals, a picture can spark a thousand controversies—something that Prince William and Kate Middleton experienced last year. The couple’s seemingly sweet Mother’s Day photo became a whirlwind of drama, photoshop accusations, and conspiracy theories. Princess Kate herself issued an apology for the confusion caused by the retouched portrait with children.
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However, behind the smiles and the public apology, the future King and Queen were privately battling far more serious concerns. It was not known at the time when the photo was released that Kate was diagnosed with cancer. Palace insiders have now revealed how the infamous scandal left a deep impact on the couple.
Kate and Prince William were ‘bruised’ by photoshop scandal
When Kate released the candid Mother’s Day photo, little did she know it would ignite fierce public backlash. After her confession that the photo was indeed ‘retouched,’ more conspiracy theories came to life. Additionally, Getty Images also flagged two more royal images based on photoshop concerns.
According to royal author Robert Hardman, speaking exclusively to People, the royal couple were deeply affected by the intense public reaction:
There was a real sense then that they felt bruised by it. It was treated like some great fraud.
At the time, Kate was battling cancer and managing treatments discreetly. Former press secretary to the late Queen Elizabeth, Ailsa Anderson, shared:
It was like being on a roller coaster for them… undergoing chemotherapy and trying to protect your children. It was like being in the middle of a tornado and not knowing when it was going to calm down.
William also spoke openly about this ordeal during his Earthshot Prize trip to Cape Town, calling the period 'brutal' and the hardest time he’s faced.
A look into Kate and William’s relationship
Meanwhile, another royal expert has shed some more details into Kate and William's relationship, this time to Fox News.
Tom Quinn recently released his new bookYes Ma’am: The Secret Life of Royal Servants that reveals confessions from current and former royal staff about life in the Palace. They shared how the heir to the throne has ‘tantrums’ and gets irritated if things aren’t done his way. Expanding on this bit of gossip in this book, Quinn told Fox News:
Occasionally, William has little tantrums and irritations if things aren’t done the way he wants them done [as heir to the British throne].
But Kate is very good at managing that in the same way that she manages the tantrums of their three children – Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis. And so, there’s a joke among the staff that Kate treats William as the fourth because he occasionally behaves like one.
Quinn also suggests that William’s temperament may have been shaped by his 'emotionally damaging childhood', marred by his parents’ highly publicised divorce and the tragic loss of his mother, Princess Diana, at age 15. William’s emotional difficulties reportedly made him 'needy' as an adult. He added:
For much of that time, it created an adult in William who was very needy. He loved spending time with Kate’s family because, unlike his, they were very warm, very close with each other, very emotionally aware.
When Kate and William first got together, William tended to have tantrums if things didn’t go his way because he was still this emotionally needy child who grew up into an emotionally needy adult.
According to him, William's temper tantrums have subsided in the past few years—all thanks to Kate.
Read more:
What does Kate Middleton eat in a day? The Princess' royal diet revealed
Princess Kate attends women’s prison but reactions are mixed: ‘Tell them the truth’
Why Kate Middleton will no longer reveal details on her wardrobe
Sources used:
People: Kate Middleton and Prince William 'Felt Bruised' by Last Year's Photoshop Controversy (Exclusive)
Fox News: Kate Middleton treats Prince William like ‘a fourth child’ and manages his tantrums, royal insider claims
